The members of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers (Ndiezeimo) said HRH Eze Samuel Ohiri has no power under the law to suspend any other Eze.
Speaking on the crisis rocking the traditional institution, the purported suspended Ezes said under the present circumstance, the reinstated Chairman, Dr. Cletus llomuanya and not Eze Ohirir reserves such authority as per the Supreme Court judgement. They maintained that, “Eze Ohiri is power drunk, he is there illegally and it is high time he was told that he should leave office”.
He continued by stressing that the law is there on what an Eze could do to earn suspension and even if there is need to suspend any Eze for misconduct, the law stipulates that a Judge will be appointed to head the investigative panel with a senior civil servant as secretary. The monarchs said Eze Ohiri has no respect for his seniors and the suspension of traditional rulers has never happened before in the history of traditional institution in Imo State. “Eze Ohiri should therefore quit the office, what he is doing is wrong and he should be ready to see the wrath of the affected Ezes”, they noted.
The royal fathers maintained that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to Imo State for a town hall meeting with the stakeholders during the electioneering of 2015, was coordinated by Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo and South East Council of Traditional Rulers which were hired and so tagging it Eze llomuanya’s meeting means they are looking for something else.
“Let Owelle Rochas Okorocha stop this nonsense, Ezes are not school children”, they said. On the Governor’s denial, that he never authorized the suspension, they stated that Owelle Okorocha is merely deceiving himself, querying, “who is Eze Ohiri working for?” While stressing that the Governor should be magnanimous because he won the re-election they counseld him to a ct like a sports man not politics of bitterness. He should accord his royal fathers respect. “Where else is this happenings in Nigeria that traditional rulers are punished for receiving a sitting President? Let Owelle Okorocha tell us where in the law he drew his reckless powers. At the floor of the Ezes’ parliament, Owelle Okorocha said he has pardoned all and the matter forgotten but why should the matter resurrect? Who is deceiving who?” they queried.
The Traditional Rulers remarked that if Owelle Rochas Okorocha does not like what is happening, he should be bold and courageous enough to call Eze Ohiri to order in the interest of peace and tranquility in Imo State. “If Owelle Okorocha said he will step on toes, is it to maltreat his Ezes most of who must have been on the throne for years? “We are vocal in telling Eze Ohiri that the balkanization of the traditional institution is not good and those of us telling Eze Ohiri the truth, that is why he singled us out for persecution. It is sad that the Governor who is at the head of all these is feigning ignorance diabolically, it is the most annoying of the whole thing when the Governor should protect the sanctity of the traditional institution in Imo State, he is the one abusing it, “the vocal traditional rulers declared. They stated also that Eze Ohiri’s panel on council of Ndi Eze with 27 members is illegal because in the past, the council of Ndi Ezes had a statutory 54 members comprising of one member each LGA appointed by the Governor and one member elected from each of the 27 local governments.
Courtesy: Community Watchdog Newspaper
